


Snake Wrangler

by AbsoluteCreed



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Body Exploration, In which both Eli and Thrawn are stumped, M/M, Naga Transformation, There will be explicit content in later chapters so the warning will change, Thrawn and Eli go on a wacky adventure, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-02-03 16:32:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12752010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsoluteCreed/pseuds/AbsoluteCreed
Summary: Eli Vanto is suddenly called to Admiral Thrawn's quarters for a pressing question. When he gets there, what he finds is beyond his understanding. And Thrawn's as well. With this new 'modification', they both must find ways to deal with it, and understand it more. Perhaps, along the way, they understand each other a bit more, as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Second Thrawnto/Thranto fic! ouo I hope y'all enjoy!
> 
> This is also posted on my tumblr (absolutecreed.tumblr.com)!

"Commander? I require some...assistance...in my quarters. Please come as soon as you're able."

Commander Eli Vanto had only received Admiral Thrawn's message minutes ago. Already, he was on his way. There were a few things about that message that didn't settle well with Eli. First, was that Thrawn rarely called him to his quarters. It was normally to his office. Second, and this may have been from him spending so much time with the Chiss, but his tone seemed flustered, almost confused. What was confusing Thrawn? And so much so, that it'd come through his tone of voice?

Something just wasn't right...

Eli tried not to let his mind get away with him. If there was an intruder, and he had somehow snuck into Thrawn's quarters, he could handle it. Eli had faced off against Thrawn in sparring enough times to know that Thrawn could easily hold his own. So it wasn't a surprise attack. Was it something in a report that was confusing him? While Thrawn had learned quite a bit of Basic, some words and phrases still escaped him. Mostly slang, but one didn't find slang often in reports. And it couldn't have been a surprise food or drink Or maybe it could've. Most of the Imperial Fleets were fed the same things, but higher ranking officers (such as Thrawn) did get to choose from an array of meals. Maybe something was mis-ordered? But why would it confuse him so much?

And while Eli had seen Thrawn drink, he'd never seen the Chiss drunk. He had a feeling there'd be more slurring of words, and more Sy Bisti than Basic. Though the thought of a drunk Thrawn brought a smile to his lips. That would be an interesting (perhaps artful?) sight to see...

Eli came out of his thoughts, as he stopped in front of Thrawn's quarters. He hoped that, whatever was going on—or that had happened—that it wasn't serious, and he wasn't too late. Taking in a breath, he pressed the comm button for the room, "Sir? Commander Vanto here. I got your message."

For a moment, there was silence. Then Eli could hear something shifting in the room—an odd sound that he couldn't quite place. Then, finally, Thrawn's voice came through, "You may enter, Commander."

His voice was normal now. But Eli didn't have much time to think on it, as the door slid open, allowing him entrance. Stepping into Thrawn's quarters, he was greeted by a chilly air in his rooms. No surprise there, as Chiss came from quite the frozen planet. Hearing movement in the bedroom, Eli walked further in, peeking in...and had to just completely pause.

It was Thrawn, that much was for sure. He was still dressed in his uniform, his glowing red eyes watching Eli. Though there was something different about his gaze. It was a questioning one, and one asking—almost demanding—an answer. And it didn't take Eli long at all to realize what the problem was. He had to blink a few times, to make sure he wasn't imagining it. And he would've pinched himself if he could get out of his surprise enough to even move.

Thrawn's legs were gone. Not gone, as in amputated and bleeding all over the floor. No...they were replaced with a thick, muscular serpentine body. The scales seemed to shine in the light of his room, and had an iridescent shine to them. The majority of the scales were a bluish shade, similar to Thrawn's skin tone. The underbelly was a stark white. When the snake part of him moved, some of the scales seemed to change color, going from a bluish tint, to black. It was fascinating and gorgeous all the same.

Then Eli snapped back to reality. This was Thrawn's body, somehow changed overnight. He went from having legs, to suddenly having none and having them replaced with a snake-like body. At least from the waist up, he was his normal Chiss self. However, from the waist down...

"Oh boy..." muttered Eli under his breath, his Wild Space accent slipping through for a moment. Standing up a little straighter, he moved in closer, clearing his throat, "What...What happened, sir?"

"Of that, I'm not entirely sure." replied Thrawn, the tip of his tail twitching in what would probably be annoyance, "After I retired to my quarters last night, I woke up and found that my legs had been replaced...with this." He reached down, putting his hand on his snake body, stroking over the smooth scales, "At first, I thought it a prank, that this was perhaps a costume of some sort. But it's most definitely fused with my body."

Kneeling down next to the snake part of Thrawn's body, Eli extended a hand, before hesitating. Looking up at Thrawn, the Chiss nodded, giving him non-verbal permission to go ahead and touch him. Placing his hand against the scales, Eli was surprised to find them warm. Normally the Chiss was cool to the touch—not freezing, per se, but cooler than what a normal human should feel like. But these scales were warm. Did this...transformation...affect how Thrawn's body regulated his temperature? Pressing his palm against the scales, he found that not only could he feel the strong muscles relax and tense under his hand, but there was also a slight pulse. A pulse meant blood flow.

Which meant that this was now a permanent part of Thrawn's anatomy.

As he idly stroked along Thrawn's tail, Eli tried to remember last night's events. There was a retirement party that he and Thrawn were required (read forced) to attend. As usual, Thrawn had plenty of question about the party, though Eli was surprised to learn that Chiss held similar parties, if with a slight few differences. Sometime during the night, the two got separated. Apparently the retiree had summoned Thrawn over, along with a few other higher ranked officers. Eli let them be, until almost an hour passed by. After that, Thrawn had returned to Eli's side, and the two continued to mingle, until the party finally let out. Eli remembered walking with Thrawn, until the two parted ways for their own quarters. He didn't recall Thrawn acting any different. He'd seen the Chiss drink a few drinks, but nothing indicated that he had gotten drugged or drunk.

Unless...

"What's the last thing you remember, sir?" asked Eli, looking up at Thrawn.

"I remember returning to my quarters..." started Thrawn, looking thoughtful, "...And perhaps laying down to rest."

"'Perhaps'?"

Thrawn nodded. The tip of his tail seemed to curl in, almost uncertain, "Perhaps. Once I walked into my quarters, everything was in a haze. I might've consumed too much alcohol at that party..."

"But with your high metabolism, sir, that shouldn't affect you." said Eli, standing up, "If I may, I believe you could drink everyone on the ship under the table."

A hint of a smile twitched at Thrawn's lips, and his tail seemed to relax. A small victory, "...I will ask about what 'drinking under the table' means later, Eli." At that, Eli felt his face flush a bit. It was always a small treat, when Thrawn dropped formality. And his name did sound rather wonderful with Thrawn's accent, "But first, I need to solve this."

He gestured to his new snake body, and Eli nodded in agreement.

"Can you move?" he asked, looking over the long, serpentine body.

Thrawn nodded, hesitating for a moment, before slowly slithering (that was the only word for it, really) around Eli. His long body followed suit. It was then that Eli not only saw those strong muscles moving underneath the scales, but realized how  _long_  Thrawn really was.

"I'm still a bit unsure of my body's movements, but it seems as if the muscles can move according to my will." stated Thrawn, stopping in front of Eli. With his lower half being replaced with a snake body, Eli realized Thrawn was much bigger than him now. He was bigger before, but now Eli's head only came up to his chest, instead of around his shoulder. Thrawn seemed to notice this too and blinked, before lowering himself slightly. His pose reminded Eli of a poisonous hooded snake, so it was calming to see him relax. But even so, Eli was still short of his shoulder.

"First things first..." started Eli, gesturing to Thrawn's snake half, "We should probably head to the medbay and see if everything is still in working order. It wouldn't do you any good to suddenly fall ill, because of this...transformation. Plus they might be able to find out what could've caused this."

Thrawn nodded, "A good idea, Eli. Though...how would I arrive there?"

The question confused Eli for a moment, and he looked up at him, "How would you arr--"

Then he saw Thrawn looking at his snake body, and Eli understood. It would be very...shocking...for a half-Chiss half-snake Thrawn to be walking—slithering—down the hall. The rumor mill would explode. Plus word could get out, and Thrawn might find himself punted out of the Imperial Navy. And having gotten this far with his rank...

"I'll make a call to the medbay." said Eli, looking back up at Thrawn, "I'll have them clear the bay of any nurses, and only leave the medical droids. They can't spread rumors. And there's a few routes to the medbay that aren't well traveled that we could use to get there. The less eyes that see, the better. At least, until we fully understand what's going on."

Thrawn nodded in agreement, "I leave it to you, Eli." he said, a small smile gracing his lips, "Thank you for your help."

Eli couldn't stop the blush rising on his cheeks, and he could've sworn the smile grow on the Chiss's lips, "You're welcome, Thrawn. I'll be right back."

Stepping over his coils, Eli stepped out of Thrawn's room, before pulling out his data pad. This was going to be an interesting trip down to the medbay, that was for sure. And as he started to comm the bay, he just hoped that none of the medical droids were programmed to be afraid of snakes... 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo heads to the medbay, to make sure Thrawn's new body is preforming well, and that there's not health hiccups. And Eli gets a curious thought in mind that he just has to try out...

 

The trip down to the medbay was...interesting. Eli likened it to sims where they were sneaking around an enemy hideout. Only in this case, the hideout was an Imperial Star Destroyer, and their 'enemies' were various officers and stormtroopers. Thankfully, they hardly ran into any of them. They had a few close calls, but that was it. Despite not having gotten used to his body, Thrawn was slithering along behind Eli smoothly. Though he often had to look back to make sure that his tail wasn't sticking out of the hall. There was a stark contrast from the color of his scales, to the color of the shiny floor.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they made it to the medbay. And, as per Eli's instructions (or rather Thrawn's, as he wrote the request as if from him), there was no one living in the medbay. A 2-1B droid waddled towards them.

"Good evening, Admiral." it said, its photoreceptors flashing slightly, "We received your request, and cleared the medbay of all human personnel. I must ask, sir, are you contagious?"

"Not in the slightest." said Thrawn, before moving his body slightly, shifting his serpentine body in view of the droid. But doing that nearly tripped Eli, as part of his body lay over his feet. Even through his boots, Eli could feel the heat radiating off of those scales.

The droid was quiet, as he stared down at Thrawn's new body. Something whirred inside of it, and Eli feared that they had short-circuited the droid, and it was going to go up in smoke in front of them. Instead, the whirring came to a halt and it looked back up at the Chiss, "Right this way, sir. We'll perform a physical exam, and see the extent of this new..." More whirring, "...appendage."

Thrawn nodded and let the droid lead the way, before he and Eli followed after it. When they reached the exam room, Eli let Thrawn have his privacy and gave him a salute, as the doors started to close. It was only when Eli saw the part of Thrawn's tail was still in the doorway, that he leapt into action and stopped the door before it could crush Thrawn's tail. Hearing the Admiral start talking with the droid behind the curtains, it was obvious that he hadn't noticed.  _He's really not used to this body yet, huh?_  He thought, amused, before gently prodding at the tail with his foot. The tail twitched and curled slightly, but didn't move. After a few more nudges, the tail finally went in enough so that the doors could close, safely. 

And now, he could only wait.

Physical exams were nothing, Eli had been through plenty himself during his time with the Empire. But with Thrawn, it was different. He was humanoid sure, but he was also a Chiss—the Empire hardly had anything on his species, minus what Thrawn had told them. The medical databanks were low on information about the Chiss. It was Thrawn's luck that he hardly got sick at all (during his entire time with him, Eli had seen him get sick a total of two times), but having that little information was still worrisome.

And now Thrawn's lower half had been replaced with that of a snake. It was so random! How could one do that, without having to resort to surgery? Thrawn didn't seem to be in pain, when he came in, and moved fine in the halls. His body was still a bit awkward, but otherwise he seemed to be getting around fine. But what got Eli was the fact that his body was so warm now. They had touched each other briefly over the years, but Thrawn was always a bit colder than normal humans. Which was normal, given that his home planet was basically an ice ball. He was used to cold temperatures. But reptiles had to use heat in order to move around, and generally survive...

So how was this going to work?

Eli sat there, losing time, before the doors opened, and the 2-1B droid stepped out.

"You may come in now. The Admiral wants you." it said, before slipping back into the room. Wondering what that could be about, Eli got out of the chair and went into the examination room. Thrawn was there, though was now entirely shirtless, his uniform folded neatly and on a hangar on the wall. He looked mildly uncomfortable, but no doubt that was due to the droid's poking and prodding. And with those metal hands, it couldn't have been comfortable at all.

But now that Thrawn was without his uniform, Eli could see where skin met scales. It was almost seamless, how skin went to scales. His human half stopped around his hips, and his navel was just visible, before the underbelly of his snake part started. Those iridescent scales traveled up from his hips a little, and up along his sides, stopping a few centimeters above his hip bone. Eli couldn't help but stare for a moment, unaware of what the 2-1B droid was saying, until Thrawn's voice brought him back.

"Commander?"

Eli let out a soft squeak, as he was jarred from his thoughts, looking up at Thrawn, before looking over at the medical droid. He blushed furiously, straightening up, "S...Sorry. Repeat what you said again."

"As I was saying..." continued the droid, as if what just occurred never happened, "The Admiral's body is healthy. Other than the extra appendage he has, he has a clean bill of health. I recommend, though, having him get used to his new body, until a solution can be found. Though, with his body requiring more energy, it's necessary that he eats a healthy amount to be able to keep his body going."

Eli nodded. It made sense. Though with snakes, they were able to eat large meals, that kept them feed for almost weeks. Though that brought another...interesting image to Eli's head. Could Thrawn...could Thrawn swallow things whole now? Just dislocate his jaw and swallow up anything bigger than his head?

Oooh dear...

"Oh, another thing." said Eli, now that he was thinking about snakes in general, "Normally reptiles require heat to survive, but given that Admiral Thrawn is from an icy climate..."

The 2-1B droid nodded, "He will require warmth, as his blood sample has revealed that he is mostly cold blooded now. But he is still a Chiss, despite the new addition. It would be wise to have someone monitor the Admiral, while applying heat to him, in case of something going wrong."

"I will have Commander Vanto be my caretaker." said Thrawn smoothly, "If at all possible, I hope to keep this from anyone, until we can understand what is going on. That includes what has been recorded today."

"Understood, sir. Your files are only yours to view, and locked within my personal memory banks." said the droid, surprising Eli. He wasn't sure they could actually do that, "Should you have any more questions, please refer to my serial number—LN-153657."

Eli would make sure to memorize the number, though knowing Thrawn, he'd have it memorized for sure. He watched Thrawn slither over to his clothes, before putting his uniform on, piece by piece. Even with a snake half, he still made the uniform look good. Tugging his hands into his gloves, he nodded at Eli to lead the way out.

"So, I guess I'll have to grab you some food." said Eli, as they started to walk out of the medbay, "How are you feeling?"

"Normal, aside from this..." said Thrawn, gesturing to his tail, "Though I do feel a bit peckish. Perhaps some food will do me some good."

Eli nodded, though he wondered how much food he should get for him. Thrawn wasn't that big of an eater, and ate just enough to keep him going. But with his body now being twice as long as he normally was, he'd need more nutrition to keep him running. Eli was going to have to do some research on this—how much a snake needed to eat, to make sure it was kept healthy. Though, no doubt, that would depend on the size of the snake...

When they made it back to Thrawn's quarters, avoiding officers and troopers alike, Eli followed Thrawn in. But now that nagging question came back into Eli's mind. It could help with figuring out his meals, after all...

"Sir....Thrawn..." said Eli hesitantly, getting Thrawn's attention as he turned around, "I know your lower half is that of a snake, but do you feel anything different from the waist up?"

"Not that I'm sure of..." said Thrawn, looking at Eli, as his coils settled loosely on the floor around the Commander, "Why?"

"Well, normally..." started Eli, "Snakes can unhinge their jaws, and eat anything larger than their head. All manner of snakes can do this, whether its for eggs, or even live prey. So...I didn't know if you...?"

The Chiss watched Eli for a moment, before a hand came up and massaged at his own jaw. After moving said jaw around, Thrawn shook his head, "I'm not sure how to go about testing that..."

"Here." Eli took off his gloves, and rolled up his sleeves, "Lets see if I can't reach into your throat with an arm."

He could've sworn he saw Thrawn's eyes widen a bit. He froze. Was that...going a bit too far? His own curiosity was going to be his downfall. He swore under his breath, as he started to grab his gloves again, "I-I'm sorry, that was too forward of me, I--"

Eli squeaked—aloud this time—as he felt Thrawn's coils pull him closer, practically trapping him close. He could feel the muscles underneath those scales move and shift, as he pressed against them. A worrying thought came to him—if Thrawn squeezed him with all of his might, he'd most definitely kill him. There was no way his tiny human body could compare to the crushing power of a human-sized (or rather, Chiss-sized) snake.

"I trust you." came Thrawn's voice, low and soft. Eli couldn't help but shiver. He looked up at him, watching him for a moment before nodding slowly. Well then... He waited for Thrawn to lower himself a little, so that Eli could reach him. His hand reached up, gently touching Thrawn's jaw, cupping it slightly. And, was it him, or did Thrawn lean into it? He couldn't linger on that thought, as Thrawn already opened his mouth. Eli swallowed, fingers trembling a little as he placed two of them into Thrawn's mouth.

Eli felt himself get rather warm, as his fingers were placed on Thrawn's tongue. He felt it twitch, before it moved around a little. As if tasting him. Eli pushed that thought from his mind and added two more fingers into Thrawn's mouth, pushing in slightly. He saw Thrawn work his jaw a little bit, letting Eli's fingers go in. And just as Eli started to put his whole hand into Thrawn's mouth, there was a soft 'pop' around the Chiss's jaws, and Eli watched as Thrawn's mouth opened further than was physically possible. Yet, he didn't seem uncomfortable. His eyes had closed, Eli noticed, as he eased more of his hand into Thrawn's hot mouth. When he touched the back of Thrawn's throat, he gasped. The Chiss still hadn't moved.

Either it was the transformation...or Thrawn had no gag reflex whatsoever.

The latter made Eli feel very, very warm.

He felt Thrawn's tongue move a little, and he started to watch his hand start to disappear down Thrawn's throat. It was rather tight, and so hot and slick...

Eli felt Thrawn's coils press him closer, and he realized that he should stop. He figured out what he needed. He only hoped Thrawn would actually let him go, instead of...

"Thrawn? I, ah....I still...need to get you food." said Eli, cursing how soft his voice sounded. Thrawn's eyes fluttered open, and he regarded Eli for a moment, before slowly nodding. Pulling his hand out of Thrawn's throat, and then his mouth, he watched the Chiss reach up and, with another pop, put his jaw back into place. He moved it slightly, before looking back down at Eli.

"Was your test conclusive?" he asked, before tilting his head, "...Eli, you're very...very warm..."

Eli squeaked for the third time that day. Chiss could already see infrared. And if snakes could see heat signatures, then no doubt Thrawn's ability to do so had just increased tenfold. Which meant that he could see the heat practically radiating off of his smaller body. He just hoped that he wasn't sporting anything embarrassing in his pants...

"I-I'm fine!" said Eli, his voice a pitch higher, as he moved away from Thrawn, feeling the coils loosen around him, "I'm...going to wash my hand, a-and get you some food, okay?"

He didn't wait for Thrawn's response, before quickly going to his 'fresher. As he washed the saliva off of his hand, he glanced downwards, shifting from foot to foot. He had gotten a bit hard, but thankfully wasn't showing anything through his pants. ...Not yet, at least. Eli felt his ears burn with blush, as he dried off his hands, and put his gloves back on. Straightening himself out, he stepped out of the refresher, noticing Thrawn messing with the climate controls of his room.

"While you're gone, I want to see how my body will react to my normal temperature setting." said Thrawn, seeing that Eli was out, "The results should be in, by the time you get back."

Eli nodded. It made sense that Thrawn would try some 'experiments' of his own. And the mess hall wasn't too far, and it shouldn't be busy this time of the day. He'd go in, get some food for himself and Thrawn, and come right back. Nothing should happen in that amount of time.

...Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check me out on Tumblr (absolutecreed) too!
> 
> I'm SO sorry for the delayed update! I got caught up with a bunch of things, and this was put on the back burner. But with the new Thrawn comic out, lets hope I can finish this! ouo


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eli comes back with food, but finds that Thrawn's climate test went rather wrong...

 

The entire way to the mess hall, Eli couldn't help but play over what had just happened in Thrawn's quarters. He had no way of testing the Chiss' gag reflex (or lack thereof) before his transformation, but if he could practically fit Eli's fist down his throat, then slipping something else in there would be no problem at all...

"Gods, stop that." he snapped at himself, practically feeling his face burning, "You're trying to help him. Stop fantasizing about him."

A tiny voice in the back of his head mocked him for all the previous times his thoughts had gone to fantasizing about Thrawn. Some nights got a bit lonely, after all...

Eli was very glad that Chiss couldn't read minds.

As he went to the mess hall and scanned over what food they had, he let his thoughts wander a bit. Did he have a crush on his commanding officer? Yes, yes he did. A rather hopeless crush, but it was there. He tried to 'wean' himself off of Thrawn, but he found that it was impossible. After everything they'd been through so far, it was rather hard to distance himself from the Chiss. Not to mention, Thrawn was sharp—he'd sense something was off right away, and ask Eli about it. And Eli didn't like making him worry. But he knew a relationship between the two of them wouldn't work. It was breaking rank, for one, and besides—there was probably a Chiss custom that didn't allow them to form non-Chiss relationships.

Maybe.

Grabbing two trays (one for himself, and one for Thrawn), Eli started putting food on them. He knew snakes were carnivores, but Thrawn ate a variety of foods. And from what Eli observed, he wasn't too picky. He wasn't a big fan of sweets, but he still ate them. Stayed away from chocolate though, for some reason. With that in mind, Eli filled Thrawn's tray with a decent amount of meat, and some vegetables to even it out. Maybe they would have to go to the medbay again to get a vitamin or something, should there be a huge change in Thrawn's diet, with his new transformation. He really didn't want the Chiss to suddenly get sick, because of all this..

After putting some food on his own tray, he grabbed some silverware, before grabbing both trays, balancing their contents, as he headed back to Thrawn's quarters. He glanced at Thrawn's tray, realizing he had put on quite a bit. But with Thrawn's body now twice as big (long?) as it normally was, no doubt he needed extra 'fuel' to keep everything running smoothly.

Once he got back, he set one tray down on the ground, punching in the code, before picking the tray back up and walking in. He noticed it was colder than it was before he left. Thrawn did say he was going to fiddle with the climate controls, to see how his body would react. Eli knew Thrawn could get his quarters colder—he'd come by when he could actually see his breath in the air. He couldn't right now, but the chill in the room still made him shiver.

"Sir? I've come back with some food." he announced, walking further in. He expected Thrawn to answer back...but there was nothing. No voice, and no sounds of him moving around. Which was odd, as the sound of his scales slithering across the floor made a distinct noise. But Thrawn's quarters were silent, and that didn't sit well with Eli.

"Sir?" Setting the trays aside, he started looking around. He found the climate controls, but saw Thrawn nowhere near them. He hadn't gone out, had he? They still had to work out a plan, to where Thrawn could appear in front of others, and not freak them out. ...Again. It was startling enough that there was a Chiss aboard an Imperial vessel (and one of rank), but suddenly having that Chiss transform into part snake? It wouldn't end well for Thrawn at all. And if he fell, Eli went with him.

Turning the corner, he went into Thrawn's bedroom, and immediately spotted the very tip of his tail. Letting out a sigh of relief, Eli went further into the room, but that relief was short lived. He'd found Thrawn sure, but the Chiss had clearly collapsed, slumped over his own coils. As Eli got closer, he saw that he was twitching. No...shivering...

"...Cold blooded..." Eli muttered, before swearing colorfully. Of course, Thrawn would be cold-blooded now. He, as a Chiss, was used to cooler temperatures, thanks to his home planet. But now that he was this...snake...thing...everything was re-regulated inside of him, including becoming cold-blooded. And cold-blooded creatures needed warmth to have energy, and generally survive. If they got too cold...

"Thrawn." Eli stepped over Thrawn's coils slightly, making sure that he didn't accidentally step on him, as he moved to gently shake at his shoulders, "Thrawn? Wake up, you have to get warm. It's too cold in here for you." No response, and he tried again giving his shoulders a bit of a firmer shake, "Wake up! Let's get you to the 'fresher, and let you soak in some hot water, so you can--"

Everything happened so fast.

Eli felt Thrawn move slightly, and felt immediately relief in him finally regaining consciousness. But then his coils moved, almost lightning fast. Like an actual snake, lashing out at prey. Those thick, heavy, scaly coils were around Eli's body in moments. Everything from the shoulders down was wrapped in those powerful coils. Eli felt himself being shifted, and found himself being laid down...and Thrawn's arms were instantly around him, hugging him close just as the coils squeezed around his body again.

"Th-Thrawn?" gasped out Eli, his voice muffled, as he was hugged close to Thrawn's chest. The Chiss had yet to respond, and Eli had to wonder if this was completely out of instinct, going towards the nearest heat source. Which, in this case, ended up being Eli. It was rather surreal, feeling Thrawn shiver and feeling that through the coils wrapped around his body. But right after he shivered, those coils squeezed tighter around him, and Eli quickly found that it was getting rather hard to breathe. And if Thrawn wasn't conscious of what he was doing, he was going to suffocate his aide.

Eli didn't want to go out this way.

"Thrawn...." Eli tried again, trying to move his head out of Thrawn's chest to look up at him. His arms were wrapped tightly around him, pressing him into the Chiss' chest. But if Thrawn was going to hear him, he had to move his head a little. He heard Thrawn sigh, and Eli felt his scalp tickle slightly. He then realized, with a jolt, that Thrawn had _nuzzled_ into his hair. Now part of Eli didn't want to move. He found that a part of him rather liked being held this close to Thrawn, and having him nuzzle into him.

...The more rational part of him knew he'd enjoy it more, if he wasn't going to be crushed to death by the coils around his body.

Eli finally tilted his head up, only to let out a soft squeak, as Thrawn's forehead came to rest on his own, instead of on top of his head. They were practically nose-to-nose, and Thrawn's lips were so tantilizingly close. He felt his body flush with warmth, and almost instantly, those coils got tighter, very intent on sapping Eli of his warmth. And strength. And ability to breathe.

"Thrawn..." Eli knew he had to snap Thrawn out of it somehow. Preferably before he lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen, "Thrawn...wake up...You're too tight...a-around me...Can't breathe..."

Thrawn seemed to react at his voice, but still showed no signs of waking up just yet. His eyes remained closed, but his body shifted a little. The coils around Eli's body loosened just a smidge, but they were still too tight. Thinking back on his words, he wondered if Thrawn would take them the wrong way...and the moment a blush rose to his cheeks, those coils were back around him once more, squeezing strongly. This time Eli did let out a strangled gasp. He had to stop his thoughts from going south. Thrawn was, apparently, hyper-sensitive to how warm his body got. And if thos coils got any tighter, they were going to do some serious damage...

"Warm..."

Eli practically jumped, finally hearing Thrawn speak. His eyes had yet to open, but at least he was talking. That was a start...right? Eli tried to struggle, but found that his body was practically immobile within Thrawn's coils. Like trapped prey...

Eli shuddered at the thought.

"Thrawn...wake up..." said Eli, trying to keep his voice steady, though it was hard with his breathing being limited, "You need...You need to get warm...But you're going to crush me, if you continue this. L-Let me go, I-I'll help you..."

Thrawn's eyes finally fluttered open. They weren't glowing as brightly as they normally did, which meant that Thrawn wasn't entirely aware. But it was a start. Eli found himself getting warm again, feeling those eyes staring right at—and through—him. He could've swore he felt those coils twitch, and Eli knew it was now or never.

"L...Let me go...Lets get you into bed...Get you warm..."

"Warm..." Thrawn's voice was low and slurred, almost as if waking from being sedated. But he seemed compliant, as he slowly started unwrapping from around Eli, letting the smaller human practically gasp in relief. Once the coils were loose enough, Eli stood up carefully. A few parts on him felt bruised, and he was pretty sure that, if he took off his uniform, there'd be some slightly imprints of those scales. Maybe. At least, with the way Thrawn had been squeezing him, it felt like there'd be something left behind.

"Come on..." Eli held out his hand to Thrawn, who studied it for awhile, as if focusing on it. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Thrawn reached out and took Eli's hand into his own. Eli almost jumped, feeling the chill to Thrawn's skin. He was naturally a little cooler than humans, but with him in this state, the chill on his skin was a bit worrisome.

Eli watched as Thrawn sat up a bit, but he didn't sit up to his full height. He was slouched, and swaying a little, still out of it apparently. Eli couldn't help but chuckle, rather amused at seeing Thrawn break decorum, though he wished it was under different circumstances, where he didn't just get too cold and almost died.

Slowly, he led Thrawn to his bed, helping him get his long body into the bed comfortably. Which...was a challenge, as he was nearly too large for the bed. And it groaned underneath of him, making Eli afraid that it would collapse under his full weight. Surprisingly, it held, and as Thrawn slithered and squirmed into a more comfortable position, nothing collapsed. Good. Very good.

"Lets get you covered up." said Eli, reaching for Thrawn's covers, and pulling them over his long body. It was evident early, that Thrawn's few blankets wouldn't cover him entirely. He watched Thrawn get comfortable, before going to search for more blankets. He wasn't sure if Thrawn would stay still long enough for a droid to bring up a spare sheet or four. And while Eli didn't mind being a heat source for Thrawn, he didn't want to be suffocated in order for him to be warm.

Eli was relieved when he found some spare sheets, and brought them over to Thrawn, draping them over his large body, and making sure every inch of him was covered. Though he did find it amusing, when Thrawn pulled one of the blankets up over his head, covering his entire body.

"I'm going to get your quarters warmed up. I'll be right back. You just stay warm, and...I'll be back."

Thrawn let out a soft 'warm' under the covers, but didn't seem like he was going to move. Good. Eli watched him for a moment longer, before going over to the climate controls. He didn't want to set them too warm, knowing that a Chiss couldn't handle heat that well. But he knew it had to be warmer than what it was. He turned it up a few degrees, and already heard the fans starting to kick on. Hopefully this would help.

He looked over at their food and sighed. Looks like food would have to wait. He knew Thrawn had a conservator, but whether it'd fit all their food or not was the question. But he'd try. Taking the food trays, he found the conservator and just barely fit both trays in there. He'd have to be careful when he opened it up again, lest their food go all over the floor.

But right now, he had something else to take care of. Or rather, someone else.

Going back into Thrawn's room, he saw that he hadn't emerged from the blankets. Moving closer, he was glad to see that Thrawn wasn't shivering any longer, and his breathing was slow and even; he was fast asleep. Eli smiled at that, gently stroking at Thrawn's coils through the blankets. Even his coils were getting slightly warmer, which was a good sign. He'd be fine.

Though he did promise him he'd be back...

Getting an idea, Eli kicked off his boots and slowly started to crawl into bed with Thrawn. He shifted his coils slightly, until he had something of a 'nest' made. He chuckled at the thought, as he relaxed against the coils, feeling them give slightly under his weight. He felt Thrawn shift around slightly, and he thought he was waking up for a panicked second. But instead, Thrawn moved under Eli, moving his body around him, so that Eli was laying down more comfortably, and Thrawn too was more comfortable. He heard Thrawn let out a soft, content sigh from under the covers, before he stilled. Back asleep once more.

Eli chuckle, gently patting Thrawn's coils, before relaxing against him. Now that he wasn't trapped in them, they were rather comfortable to relax against. He knew he'd never get away with this, if Thrawn was awake. And if he did wake up, Eli did have the excuse that he was just keeping Thrawn warm. He just hoped Thrawn wouldn't mind him literally laying in bed with him...

The slowly growing heat from Thrawn's body, plus his comfortable coils, and Eli's dropping adrenaline made him rather sleepy. Concentrating on Thrawn's breathing, Eli soon found his eyes slipping shut. It wouldn't hurt to have just a small nap. Just a little one...

Before he knew it, Eli had fallen asleep, curled up slightly against Thrawn's coils. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am a HUGE sucker for naga/lamina. I love them. And I attribute that to my love of snakes. So I had a random thought in the shower, and thought 'hey, why not transform Thrawn into a naga and let chaos ensue?' And so, this fic was born!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!


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